Not your typical "based on a true story" horror movie
Looking for that horror movie that hits all the right spots? Like with plenty of scares, a good cast, chilling music and just enough to make it unique? Look no further than Veronica.
Veronica is a Spanish film released the summer of last year, but now you can catch the English subtitled version on Netflix. On the surface, it's a pretty typical 'based on a true story' horror entry, but the execution will make it stand out and leave you thinking about it for days.
It's currently sitting at a high 88% on Rotten Tomatoes and viewers are calling it "the scariest movie ever made." That's how you know you don't want to miss this one.
The story takes place in 1991 Madrid and follows Veronica (Sandra Escacena), the oldest daughter of a busy waitress (Ana Torrent) who works early mornings and late nights. Veronica has learned to be independent and a guardian for her two younger sisters, Irene (Claudia Placer) and Lucía (Bruna González), and her brother Antoñito (Iván Chavero). Because of Veronica's watchful eye, she constantly has to oversee them, from when they wake up to when they go to bed.
Director Paco Plaza plays with the idea of psychology versus paranormal. Throughout the film, viewers are forced to question whether all of the supernatural events happening are just in Veronica's head.
The best way he shows this off is through the cinematography. There are several shots in the film that stray from typical techniques. A great mind-bending one is Veronica getting out of bed in one smooth walk. My favorite, though, is an unsettling shadow slowly moving across the walls of a room with a hand reaching for its next victim. All of these hint at an unexpected true culprit.
The end will leave you with questions of what had actually happened. As pictures of the real-life scene are shown, it paints a horrifying and hard to believe reality. The house they live in looks like it was hit by a hurricane and is replicated in the movie to a surprising level of detail.
The question is forced: did Veronica invite an evil entity through her wrongdoing that did this damage, or did her coming-of-age and the pressure at home build up too much?
The ambiguity leaves it up to you to decide for yourself. Check it out on Netflix if you're looking for a horror movie to get lost in.
Watch the trailer for Veronica below, and let us know if you've seen it in the comments!
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